Apparatus for marking the surface of electric cables or similar articles



March 21, 1944. E. s. HARGREM/Es Erm. 2344963@ Y APPARATUS FOR MARKING THE SURFACE OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May l0, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l mu/L 5;' 7 4 7M) M WJ 07mm, 7M 77h19 Inventors MM ,MyM/M@ ,cada/f. Attorneys March 2, 1944., E. s. HARGREAVES TAL APPARATUS FOR MARKING THE SURFA'CE OF ELECTRIC CABL OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Flled may 1o, 194s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n enior )13g/M, ma Attorneys Pnenred Mar. 21, 1944 APPARATUS Fon MARKING TBE sum-Aca oF ELECTRIC CABLES on. SIMILAR. An-

TICLES Edward Spencer Hargreaves, deceased, late of Rainhill, England, by Edward Gordon Hargreaves, Saint Helens, England, and Harvey John Dunkerley, Croolxliam, England, executors, and Harold MacDonald Steward, Liverpool, England, assignors to British Insulated Cables Limited, Prescot, England, a British company Application May 10, 1943, Serial No. 486,399

In Great Britain June 6, 1942 (Cl. IGI- 36) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for applying marking at frequent intervals, or continuously, in the length, to the surface of an electric cable or of some similar article. Such marking may be required for distinguishing between different articles which are otherwise similar, or labelling the article with the marker's name, or its rating, or other information, or for ornamentation.

The apparatus provides for the application of marking to a long cylindrical body of circular or approximately circular cross-section, hereinafter referred to for convenience as a cable, in a path (or paths) which progresses round and along the cable. Such a path will for convenience be termed a helical path although, in the case of a cable that is not of circular cross-section, the development of the surface of the cable will not result in the path becoming a right line. 'I'he marking is effected by means of a roller (or rollers), which has on its periphery an appropriate marking surface, and which runs with this periphery in contact with the surface of the cable as the cable travels forward longitudinally. The marking roller is mounted on the skew in a carrier, which is rotatable about the cable. The angle of skew and theerelation between the speed of rotation of the carrier and the linear speed of travel of the cable are such that the marking roller follows a helical path about the cable without appreciable slipping between the marking surface andthe cable. In this arrangement the line of marking is tangential to the surface of the cable in a plane which does not contain the axis oi the cable and is not perpendicular to a plane containing that axis, but which is in some intermediate angular position. It is preferred to make the marking roller adjustable so as to vary this angular position through a range by turning theroller about a line extending radially from the axis of the cable through the mean point of contact of the periphery of the roller with the cable surface to bring the axis of the marking roller at right angles to the line of marking, that is, atright angles to the direction of movement of the mean point of contact over the cable surface. This direction of movement is governed by the relation between the speed of travel of the cable and the speed of rotation of the carrier. It will be understood, therefore, that any adjustment of the angular position of the marking roller with the object of obtaining a helical line of marking of a different angle I must be accompanied by a corresponding adjustment of the relation between the speed of travel of the cable and the speed of rotation of the carrier.

A particular advantage of this method of marking is that it permits of applying a pattern of considerable transverse width to thesurface of a cable of small diameter, that is to say, of a diameter equal to or less than the width of marking. This cannot be done effectively if the axis of the roller is at right angles to the axis of the cable, since, even if the roller surface is made exceptionally soft, or is shaped to t the cable, substantial slipping between the surfaces While marking is taking place must occur, so that the marking isblurred and ineffective. By placing the 'marking roher on the skew, so that a helical marking is obtained, the transverse curvature of the surface to be marked, in the regionm which marking takes place, is substantially reduced, so that effective marking can be obtained.

Preferably the carrier also carries a support or backing-up member, which makes contact with the cable at a point opposite to that at which the marking roller is applied, and thereby holds the cable in position against the pressure of the marking roller.

The marking may be done simply by impressing. It may also be done by the use of ink or other matter, which is `applied to the surface of the marking roller and transferred by it to the cable. For this an additional roller, for convenience referred to as an inking roller, is also mounted in the carrier so that it runs in contact with the marking roller. It is preferably made as a hollow container so that the supply of marking liquid may be contained within it and fed outward through an aperture or apertures in its periphery on to an appropriate surface by which it is applied to the marking surface on the marking roller.

By way of example several forms of cable marking apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l isea side elevation of a marking device for applying a single line of marking,

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan showing a number of marking devices arranged in tandem and each arranged to be driven in the same direction and at speeds proportional to the speed of travel of the cable,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a port the carrier in bearings '(not shown).

marking device comprising a carrier with three sets of marking and support rollers, and

. Figure is a diagrammatic plan view of two marking devices arranged to be driven in opposite directions at a speed proportional to the speed of travel of the cable.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the marking device comprises a frame I- in the form of a rectangle lwith rounded corners. having in two opposite sides holes 2 which are in alignment with each other. Attached to these sides by bolts 9 are hollow trunnions 4 which are also in alignment with the holes 2. These trunnions serve to alla; trunnions also serve for the passage of the cable 5 to be marked. 'I'he frame is mounted appropriately, usually in association with a machine which is performing some other operation on the cable so that marking takes place as the cable enters or leaves the machine performing that other operation.

On one of the sides of the frame that lie parallel with the axis of rotationof theframe is mounted a bracket 9 of U-shape. The bracket is clamped to the frame by a bolt 1 passing through the frame and the centre of the bracket. When the nut l is slackened, the bolt serves as a pivot about which the bracket may be turned. Thus, the bracket may be clamped to the frame in any desired angular setting within a range. The axis about which this angular adjustment takes place is radial to the axis of rotation of the frame. The bracket 9 carries a support roller 9 which is intended to have its periphery in con.. tact with the cable at a point opposite to that at which marking is to take place, when the axis of the cable coincides or approximately coincides with the trunnion axis. The support roller is of metal with a circumferential groove which receives a rubber ring III which serves as a resilient support surface. The support roller is rotatably supported in the clevis end of a bell crank lever II vwhich -is pivotally supported in the bracket I and is adiustably supported by a tension arm acting on the other arm of the bell crank lever. 'This tension arm has the form of an eye bolt I2 pivotally secured to the U-shaped bracket 9, and carrying a nut I9 and a washer I4 with a knife edge Il which enters a shallow V-shaped groove I9 in the free arm of the lever II and forms an adjustable abutment for that arm of the lever. By adjusting the position of the nut I3 the surface of the support' roller 9 may be moved nearer to or further from the axis of the cable. 'I'his adjustment allows the marking device to deal with different sizes of cable and provide's for the obtaining of the desired intensity of pressure on the cable. It will be noticed that the roller 9 is so supported in its bracket 9 that the axis of adjustment of the bracket in the carrier passes through the axis of the roller and through the region of contact with the cable. Movement in either direction of the roller from the mean position shown will move the roller axis away fromthe pivot axis of the bracket but this displacement will be small because the clistance of the pivot axis of the bell crank lever from the trunnion axis is made approximately equal to the radius of the roller.

I Directly opposite the bracket 9, and similarly mounted for angular adjustment about the same axis, is a second and larger U-shaped bracket I8, the limbs of which extend from the opposite side f means of an eye bolt 22, a washer 24 with a knife of the frame towards the trunnion axis and the u edge 25 engaging in a shallow V-shaped groove 29 in the lever 2|, and a nut 23. The bracket I9 also carries an inking roller, designated 29. This roller is mounted on a bell crank lever 9|, the angular position of which is controlled, in the same manner as are the bell crank levers II and 2|, by a nut 22 and washer 34 on an eye bolt 32 pivotally anchored to the bracket I9, the washer having a knife edge .25 engaging in a shallow V-shaped groove 29 on the bell crank lever 3l. By adjustment-of the position of the bell crank lever 3i, the inking roller can be moved to obtain the correct degree of contact between its surface and the marking surface 29 of the marking roller I9, whatever the position of the latter within the region of adjustment provided for it.

The inking roller 29 has the form of a hollow drum round the circumference of which is a band 20 of felt located between a xed collar 38 and a detachable collar 29. In the circumferential i surface of the roller that lies under the felt band is a shallow groove 40 communicating by a small hole 4I with the interior of the roller which forms a reservoir which can be lled with marking liquid, which escapes through the hole 4I and lls the felt and is thereby transferred to the raised part of the pattern on the rubber periphery 20 of the marking roller.

A spring II between thehead of the eye bolt I2 and the arm of the bell crank lever II, and corresponding springs 21 and 31 acting on levers 2l and 2| respectively, cause the rolls to move outwards as the nuts I2, 29 and I3 are slackened, whatever be the angular position of the carrier. 'Ihus the rollers 9 and I9 are held open and the insertion of a new length of cable is facilitated.

ThedeviceshowninFigures 1and2isanexhelical line of marking. Where more than one line of marking is to be applied to the cable, thisv can be done by means of a number of separate similar marking devices, each comprising a rotatable carrier with a marking roller and a support roller, as shown in Figure 3. All the carriers may be driven at the same speed so asto produce helical lines of marking of the same pitch, or they may be driven at diiferent speeds, for instance, by tting driving sprockets 42 of different sizes and driving from a-common lay shaft 43 by chain drives 44. On the other hand, two marking devices may be employed of which the carriers are driven in opposite directions. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 5, which shows a carrier provided with a chain drive 44 and a second carrler driven in the opposite direction by the first carrier ythrough a double bevel drive 4i. This arrangement will give interlaced lines of marking. Alternatively, a single carrier may be ntted with an appropriate number of printing and support rollers and inking rollers (if marking is to be done by means of ink) The marking rollers for o the several lines of marking may be placed either side by side, if the lines are narrow as, for instance, two simple lines of diierent colours, or they may be separate and positioned one behind the other in a long carrier, either as shown in Figure 4 or with the axes of adjustment of lthe roller brackets 6 and II lying at an angle to one another, so as to operate in succession upon the cable.

For the sake of clarity and simplicity the brackets 8 and I8 are shown in such positions that the axes of the rolls they support lle parallel with one anotherl and at right angles to the axis of rotation of the frame, but it will be appreciated that before putting the marking apparatus into operation, the support roller 9 and marking roller i9 will be slewed round in opposite directions until their axes lie at angles to the axis of rotation of the frame that are appropriate to the relationship -between the speed of rollers by using a common'drive for the framel and the draw-off capstan wheel or other means controlling the passage of cable through the marking apparatus. An example of such a drive is shown diagrammatically in Figure 3. Here the cable 5 is drawn through the three marking devices by a capstan 46 driven through a train of gears 41 by an electric motor 48 which also drives the lay shaft 43 from which the chain drives 44` to the three carriers are taken.

It will be seen that the improved marking devices, instead of providing helical lines of marking or, in the case of the apparatus shown in Figure 3, in addition to providing such lines, may give lines of marking parallel with the axis where these are required. 'I'his would be done by setting the axes of the rollers at right angles to the axis of the cable (that is, as iown in the drawings) and locking the carrier against rotation.

What we claim as our invention is:

frequent intervals, or continuouslyyalong the length oi' the article, as it travels therethrough,

comprising a carrier, means for rotating the car' rier about the ax of the article, and a roller with a peripherally e ending marking surface mounted in said carrier with its periphery in contact with the surface of the article, said roller being capable of angular adjustment about a line radial to the axis of the article and passing through the mean point of contact of the periphery of the marking roller with the surface of the article.

4. Apparatus for applying marking to the surface of a cable orother elongated article'of circular'or approximately circular cross-section, at frequent intervals, or continuously, along the I length of the article, as it travels therethrough,

comprising a carrier, means for rotating the carrier about the article to be marked, a roller l. Apparatus for applying marking to the sur- I face of a cable or other elongated article of circular or approximately circular cross-section, at frequent intervals, or continuously, along the length of the article, as it travels therethrough, comprising a carrier, means for rotating the carrier about the article vto be marked, and a roller with a peripherally extending marking surface mounted on the skew in said carrier with its periphery in contact with the surface of the article, the angle of skew and the relation between the speed of rotation of the carrier and the linear speed of travel of the article being such that the marking roller follows a helical path about the 'article without appreciable slipping between the marking surface and the article.

2. Apparatus for applying marking to the surface of a cable or other elongated article of circular or approximately circular cross-section, at frequent intervals, or continuously, along the length of the article, as it travels therethrough, comprising a carrier, means for rotating the carrier about the article to be marked, and a roller with a peripherally extending marking surface mounted on the skew in said carrier with' its periphery in contact with the surface of the article and its axis at right angles to the direction of movement of the mean point of contact of its periphery over the surface of the article.

. 3. Apparatus forvapplying marking to the surface of a cable or other elongated article of circular or approximately circular cross-section, at

with a peripherally extending marking surface mounted on the skew in said carrier with its periphery in contact with the surface of the article, a support member mounted in said carrier and making contact with the article at a point opposite the point of contact between the article `and the marking roller, the angle of skew and the relation between the speed `of rotation of the carrier and the linear speed of travel of the article being such that the marking roller follows a helical path about the article without appreciable slipping between the marking surface and the article.

5. Apparatus for applying fluid to the surface of an elongated article of circular or approximately circular cross-section to form a helical line of marking on the article as it travels therethrough, comprising a carrier, means for rotating said carrier about the article to be marked, a roller with a perlpherally extending marking surface mounted on the skew in said carrier with its lperiphery in contact with the surface of the article, and a second roller also mounted on the skew in said carrier with its axis parallel to that of rst said roller and running in contact with the marking surface of rst said roller and applying marking fluid thereto, the angle of skew of said rollers and the relation between the speed of rotation of said carrier and the speed of longitudinal travel of the article being such as to avoid appreciable slipping between the marking surface and the article.

6. Apparatus for applying a helical line of marking to the surface of a cable or other elongated artlcle of circular or approximately circular cross-section, comprising a carrier rotatably supported on hollow trunnions through which the article to be marked is drawn, a marking roller and asupport roller mounted in said carrier on opposite sides thereof so as to be capable of limited angular adjustment about a common axis which is normal to and intersects the trunnion axis and passes through, or close to, the axis of each of said .rollers and through the region of its contact with the article to be marked, to suit the relation between speed of rotation of said carrier and linear speed of travel of the article, and means for adjusting said rollers to a limited extent in a direction approximately parallel to the axis of angular site sides of the axis of said carrier, means securing said brackets to said carrier in a manner permittingv independent angular adjustment thereof about a common axis normal to and ntersecting tbc trunnion axis, a pair of bell crank levers pivotally supported one in each oi said the lever' carries, and the distance of the pivot axis from the .said common axis of adjustment approximating to the distance between the pivot axis and the axis of the roller, and means for controlling in an adjustable manner the angular position of each of said bell crank levers in its bracket, thereby to adiust'the intensity of pressure of the marking and support rollers on the article.

8. Apparatus for applying a helical line of marking to the surface of a cable or other elon# gated article of circular or approximately circular cross-section, as it travels therethrough, comprising a carrier rotatably supported on'hollow trunnions, a pair of brackets on diametrically opposite sides of the carrier, means securing said brackets to said carrier in a manner permittlng independent angular adjustment thereof about a common axis normal to and intersecting the trunnion axis, a pair ot bell crank levers pivotally supported one in each of said brackets, a marking roller rotatably supported at one end of one of said levers and a support roller rotatably supported at one end oi' the other oi' said levers, the distance of the pivot axis of each bell crank lever from the trunnion axis approximating to the radius ci the roller which the said lever carries and the distance of the pivot axis from the said common axis of adjustment approximating to the distance between the pivot,

axis and the axisof the roller. a third bell crank lever, pivotally supported in the marking roller bracket, an inking roller rotatably supported at one end of the last said bell crank lever with its axis parallel to the axis of said marking roller, and means tor controlling in an adjustable manner the angular position of each of said bell crank levers in its bracket independently of the others, whereby to control the intensity ot pressure of the marking and support rollers on the article and of the inking roller on the marking roller.

EDWARD GORDON HARGREAVES. HARVEY JOHN DUNKERLEY.

'Executors of the Estate of Edward Spencer Hargreaves, Deceased.

HAROLD MAcDONALD STEWARD. 

